Jail Break: Reps want Solar/Electric powered biometric capturing devices installed

As part of efforts to tackle incidences of jailbreak in the country, the House of Representatives has advocated the installation of solar/electric-powered biometric capturing devices in all correctional centres.

Consequently, the House urged the Ministry of Interior, Nigerian Correctional Service, in collaboration with its relevant committees, to ensure the acquisition and installation of such devices for the capturing of full details of inmates and uploading to a central data collection base.

This was a sequel to the adoption of a motion moved by Hon. Emeka Idu Godwin(LP, Anambra) at plenary on Tuesday when he expressed worry that jailbreaks were becoming a recurring decimal, national embarrassment and a security threat to the country.

He observed that despite the change in nomenclature, critical infrastructure like the provision of (Information and Communications Technology (ICT), Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV), and Artificial Intelligence (AI), amongst others, were not provided to meet modern challenges in the security ecosystem.

The lawmaker expressed concern that; “the absence of modern technology equipment makes it impossible for the administrative staff of the facilities to account for the number of escapees each time there is a jailbreak.

“If urgent steps are not taken to install modern security gadgets and equipment, like installation of Solar Powered Biometric Capturing devices for an on-the-spot capturing of inmates at the point of admission into the facilities, incessant jailbreaks will continue unabated with an attendant number of escapees
unaccounted for.”